LA 243 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Urban Sprawl, Sustainable Design, Sustainable Development
“Sustainable design balances human needs (rather the human wants) with the carrying capacity
of the natural and cultural environments. It minimizes environmental impacts, and it minimizes
importation of goods and energy as well as the generation of waste.”
-US National Park Service
● 82% of US residents live in urban areas
● Urban cities import large amounts of raw and processed resources while exporting
massive amounts of waste to often rural areas
● Global economy increases international dependencies
● To fix sustainability it will take context specific changes
○ Not one specific way to fix it and it depends on the city
4 life supporting functions of earth
● Production
● Regulation
● Carrier
● Information service
● Human activities have a direct correlation with the earth's ability to sustain life
● Natural disasters are getting larger and will continue to do so
Place based stewardship
● To tackle sustainability architects, la’s, urban planners need to work together
● Buildings, green spaces, and transportation and utility networks influence community
health, economic prosperity and sustainability
● Urban sprawl has had a negative impact overall and needs to be rethought because of
the lack of access it causes and the negative effect
● To protect the public we as LAs must design with public health safety and welfare in our
minds
● Paradigm- a set of ideas or theory in the scientific community
● Design excellence is important for future generations and to keep cost of infrastructure
down
● Sustainable development is design and development that creates environmental,
economical, and social conditions that improve quality of life indefinitely without
degrading the quantity, quality or availability of nature, economic, and social resources.
Evidence based design:
● A site effects both what is on the site and what surrounds the site
Smart Growth:
● Smarter land use to create more options in all aspects of life
● Preservation of open spaces
● Make the community attractive with a mix of uses
● Create a range of housing opportunities and communities that are walkable or
connected well (variety)
● Predictable development decisions that are fair and cost effective
LEED:
● Sustainable site development
● Water savings
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